Malaria and Rome

A History of Malaria in Ancient Italy

Robert Sallares

Makes full use of contemporary sources and comparative material from other periods to interpret the ancient evidence

Translates Latin, Greek, and Italian texts

Explains technical terms

Careful interplay between the modern microbiology of the disease and the Greek and Latin literary texts

Employs data from historical demography to quantify the effects of malaria on human populations in the past

Malaria and Rome

A History of Malaria in Ancient Italy

Robert Sallares

Description

Malaria and Rome is the first comprehensive book on the history of malaria in Roman Italy. Aimed at an interdisciplinary readership, it explores the evolution and ecology of malaria, its medical and demographic effects on human populations in antiquity, its social and economic effects, the human responses to it, and the human interpretations of it.

Malaria and Rome

A History of Malaria in Ancient Italy

Robert Sallares

Table of Contents

1. Introduction2. Types of malaria3. Evolution and prehistory of malaria4. The ecology of malaria in Italy5. The demography of malaria6. The Pontine Marshes7. Tuscany8. The city of Rome9. The Roman Campagna10. Apulia11. Geographical contrasts and demographic variation

Malaria and Rome

A History of Malaria in Ancient Italy

Robert Sallares

Author Information

Robert Sallares is Research Fellow in Biomolecular Sciences, UMIST.

Malaria and Rome

A History of Malaria in Ancient Italy

Robert Sallares

Reviews and Awards

"An important book with serious claims to make about the nature of the disease environments of Roman Italy, with wider implications for our understanding of Mediterranean history."-- American Historical Review

"Bringing together ancient literary and archaeological evidence, comparative historical material on malaria, and the latest scientific research on the disease and its ecology, Sallares shows that [the malarial strain] P. Falciparum can be traced far back into Greek and Italian history.... The demographic impact of this expanding pattern of disease is Sallares's main concern, and he provides a broad overview and a series of local studies to demonstrate it."--Times Literary Supplement